MINISTER IN REPLY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1931, 13 December 1913, Page 7

MINISTER IN REPLY.

THE OPPOSITION RATED. NOTHING TO ARBITRATE ABOUT., The Hon. W. F. Massey said ho was' glad that tho liill had met with ;i favourable welcome from most' of the members of the House. lie would ask any honourable member who. was opposed to tho Bill to call for a division. Mr. Webb: I will. Mr. Massey: Very well. ■ 1 was .fishing, and I have caught a big one. Howas very glad, he said, that someone was going to call a division. He admitted that tho strike- had boon a very serious loss to the country, but tho country would rccovcr very rapidly. And how there wcro very strong indications that wiser counsels were prevailing, and that tiie strike- was comiiu; to fin oii'd. And he would be very glad when the strike did come, to an end. _ Member after member of the Opposition had called attention to tho fact that tho .strike had not come to an ml, and had almost gloated'over, the fact. One would almost think that'tho wish in many cases was father to the thought. He spoke of the Hon. J. A. Millar as a man who had given the lost of his life in the hiie.rests of Labour. Mr. Millar had expressed tho opinion that tho liill was a good one. and that tho Government could not have done more than it had done. Coming from a man respected as Mr. Miliar was, s-uclj an expression' of. opinion compensated him for all tlfo abuse that. . had-'.corao from tho other sid-o of the llouso. Sir J'. Ward and Mr. G. W. .Russell' 'had delivered foolisli.. and unwise 'speeches . that afternoon. The speech delivered by the Member for Avon (Mr. Hussell) was worthy; .of him, but not, worthy of tlio Hon&i: Mr. Hsnan had said that no opportunity had been given to discuss she' strike. -As a- fact such opportunity was afforded no longer away than.during!;,tho. la.si;,,lmprest debate, and this-'wa's niot the only opportunity.' Facilities for tho discussion of tho strike wore given '<i}'iM! one (if threo private Bills deoli.lv;; with Labour matters, which had been introduced during tho present session. What was tho result? The debate came to an end before fivo o'clock in the afternoon. As to what had been said about arbitration with a view to effecting a settlement, any sucli proposal was unfair to the men who had joined the new Arbitration union. Ho would like nothing better than to seethe men who wore now 011 strike' batik at '.cork. He endorsed what had been said about the loaders who had led the. workers into the present strike. If he were a wage-earner he would be a unionist. He wished !o make.that clear. - At tho same time, lie held that while every man had a right to obtain tho highest possible wages, sso man, or sot of roon, had n right to stop tho wheels of industry. That was where tile difference. lay between . a trades unionist and a syndicalist.

Offsrs Mads and Rcjseted. Ho detailed the ofFers nsado to the men at tho .conference. At tho first confcronco the offer was made to the union representatives that they should go hack to work oti tho samo terms that they had left, and give a bond. That proposal was turned down. At tho second conference he, suggested that the matter be referred for arbitration to Sir Joshua Williams. At that time thero were no complications, and it was a matter for arbitration, _ -Tho Government had given the strike very full consideration, and had decided that, at, all events and at all costs, law and order must be maintained.''' They had counted the cost,' and they were quite willing to pay tho penalty for their: notions.' :• 5 Magnificent. Tbev had appealed for speci-il con-' stables in tho town and in the country, and the response had been magnificent.Nothing that had occurred in all his political life had touched him so deeply as the conduct of those special .constables, and of tho farmers who had or,mo down to put their - produce on board. An American gentleman who, had been iiore the other dav hud expressed ' his great admiration ■ for the action of the farmers, saying that noth-. ing of the sort bad ever been'-'done' in America. . :v.. Mr. Webb: Tho groa'est .Tory, in America. 1 Mr. Masse.v: Tho .honourable .gentleman does not even know the name -'of tho'gentleman. Ho was not a member' of tho l'annma (.-ommissioii. >T enn": tellhim that. He added that the doings of tho year lOl.'i would bo chronicled with . proper prominence when the annals of. this country came to be written. Mr. Russell and strike Lead rs The member for Avon'had made some very erroneous statements about whattook.place at the conference," which hocould not avoid corroding at the tune'.-' Tie would like to ask Mr. Kussell where he got, his information. In asking tin's ho did not say that Mr. dlussell'.s statements wo re: correct, hut. evidently .iliey:.' were a distorted version ol tho facts. :, Mr. R-nssell said 'that, lie got his -in-.-formation from people who wero ..there, and whom he believed, v Mr. Massev mid ho had., reason mo. believe that 'ifr. Uiisse'll. had been • ill touch with tho strike leaders; and he-' itig in touch with them-ho-had''appar-er.tly not, exerted his influence: in tho. direction of imlufling them to' go' : back* to work. The Government, had.-been asked what, it was going, to do for.-tho small man. They had opened Iho ports anil so assisted" llio. small fanners ;,iu.; the best possible, way. ( '. Tee ■ proposal., that secret ballots should bo taken, bya public officer did vict.'imply any .shght,j upon the union- officers! but,.was tended to guard agaiust^any,,possibility, of intimidation.- - . lie that before Christmas bo restored nHcl.,hapi;iY*es.s^ •itv once moro .-reign.

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